Sweet Refuge
A passionate Syrian baker spends his first Eid in the US attempting to sell the sweet he has spent his lifetime perfecting: walnut baklava. As he roams the streets of Brooklyn, he bumps into a savvy Indian ladoo maker, who appears to have figured out how to appeal to one of New York's most coveted customers: Health-conscious Brooklynites.
Sweet Refuge was initially inspired by a recently resettled 76-year-old Syrian baker I worked with in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn in 2017, who spoke to his sweets like they were old friends.
It was also sparked by my experiences growing up South Asian in the Middle East, two cultures that often live side by side, but not always together. Yet, when I moved to the US for college, I noticed how, where both Arabs and South Asians were often Othered, suddenly there was also space for us to relate. I’m particularly interested in how this translates to food and our shared longing and desire to preserve (and reimagine) the desserts we left behind.
Maryam Mir
Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival (World Premiere)
Arab American National Museum’s Arab Film Festival
DC Asian Pacific American Film Festival
New York Asian Film Festival
BlackStar Film Festival
International South Asian Film Festival of Canada
Mizna Twin Cities Film Festival
Hamptons International Film Festival
Indian Film Festival of Los Angeles (IFFLA)
The Mosquers Film Festival
International Film Festival of South Asia - Toronto (IFFSA)
San Diego International Film Festival
Austin Film Festival
San Diego Asian Film Festival
Muslim International Film Festival
Key West Film Festival
Tide Film Festival
InFocus Arab Cinema - NewFilmmakers LA
MENA Film Festival
Ajyal Doha Film Festival
Arab Film Festival
Cast and Crew
Laith Nakli
Lead - Hakim
Sara Balghonaim
Producer
Rhea D'Souza
Production Designer
Mahira Kakkar
Sakina
Aya Hamdan
Producer
Maryam Mir
Writer/Director
Chheangkea Leng
Cinematographer